Exploring the Archaeology of Cardigan Island

This recent Royal Commission aerial photograph taken in April 2013 clearly shows the visible archaeology that is indicative of past habitation and farming. (Crown Copyright. RCAHMW, 2013).

Royal Commission Investigators have just returned from a visit to explore the archaeology of Cardigan Island. The island lies just off the Ceredigion coast, adjacent to the estuary of the river Teifi and is owned by the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales. Access to the island is restricted and we were very grateful to be given a place on the boat chartered for the annual egg count of the breeding sea birds and geese.

Landing on the Island. (Crown Copyright. RCAHMW, 2013)

Landing on the island is tricky, and involved a rocky scramble onto the main grassland plateau which at this time of year is covered in extensive patches of bluebells. There are also clusters of tree mallow, not to mention the inhabitants, lots of nesting birds, particularly gulls and geese. It proved to be a noisy day!

Like many of the islands around the coast of Wales, a lack of modern development on Cardigan has preserved the archaeology and aerial photographs clearly indicate evidence of past habitation and farming. Much of the island is covered by ridge and furrow, indicating that at one time, most likely during the medieval period, arable farming was undertaken. However, the nature of these remains suggest this was never long established and it’s more likely that a pastoral economy predominated with the livestock watered by a number of small ponds in the centre of the island.

Two enclosed settlements, most likely later prehistoric in date, indicate that the island was also once settled. The smaller of the two enclosures contains evidence of five circular huts, whilst the much larger enclosure on the north side of the island, has one clear hut circle together with a large rectangular platform, possibly relating to a later phase of use. One unenclosed circular hut platform was also identified against which an earthwork bank dividing the whole island had been constructed.

The archaeology on the ground. GPS survey of the boundary bank dividing the island. (Crown Copyright. RCAHMW, 2013)

The results of our field visit will now be collated into a survey report and the National Monuments Record enhanced with detailed descriptions and photography of the archaeology.

Article by Louise Barker, Head of Recording and Investigation Team

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Dambusters at the Elan Valley: the story of Nant-y- Gro Dam!

Dambusters: Aerial view of Nant-y-Gro in the Elan Valley (NPRN:408280)

Tonight, the night of the 16 - 17 of May 2013,  marks the 70th anniversary of the celebrated “Dambusters Raid” by aircraft from 617 Squadron led by Guy Gibson, when 19 Lancaster bombers took off from a runway in Lincolnshire in eastern England, each carrying a purpose built weapon - the bouncing bomb - and dropped them in Nazi Germany's industrial heartland. This triumph was later immortalised in the 1954 film, Dambusters.

The idea for the Dambusters raid originated in 1940, when aeronautical designer Dr Barnes Wallis calculated the explosive power required to breach the Ruhr dams and discovered that no existing bomber could carry a large enough bomb. However, Wallis realised that smaller bombs accurately positioned at the foot of the dam could have the same effect. To make this possible, Wallis designed the "bouncing bomb" that would skip across the water and hit the dam. The bomb needed to be dropped at the right speed, at the right distance from the dam and at the right height above the water.

 Unknown to many people today mid-Wales played a crucial part in the development of Barns Wallis’ ingenious “Bouncing Bomb”.

An aerial view clearly shows part of the 60ft wide breach in the former dam (NPRN:408280)

In July 1942 the prototype charge was proof-tested at a small dam in the Elan Valley, where 280lbs of high-explosive destroyed the central portion of the masonry dam. The experiment was a complete success. The evocative and sobering remains of the bombed dam may still be seen today. The Nant-y-Gro Dam (NPRN 408280) is located at SN92196348, and is protected as one of Cadw’s Scheduled Ancient Monuments.




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Learning About The Upland Heritage of Gwynedd

Delegates ascending the magnificent incline at Gorseddau slate quarry to inspect its upper workings.

The Archaeology in the Uplands event held on 10th-11th May in Snowdonia was a resounding success for all concerned. Organised jointly between the Royal Commission, the Snowdonia National Park Authority and the Gwynedd Archaeological Trust, the event featured a packed dayschool on Friday 10th May at Plas Tanybwlch followed by a guided walk to the slate quarrying landscape of Gorseddau on the Saturday.

On Friday over 60 delegates joined Royal Commission staff at Plas Tanybwlch for a dayschool opened by Councillor Caerwyn Roberts OBE, Chairman of the Snowdonia National Park Authority, followed by an address by Dr David Gwyn. The day began with reports of the most recent surveys completed for the Uplands Archaeology Initiative in north, mid and south Wales, before a series of afternoon talks from specialists from Wales, England and Scotland about various aspects of the archaeology, history, paleoenvironment and management of the upland heritage of north-west Wales.

On the following day, two minibuses of delegates accompanied Royal Commission archaeologists to the slate quarrying landscape around Gorseddau quarry above Porthmadog, in the expert company of Dr David Gwyn of Govannon Consultancy who lead the tour. Despite a few rain showers there was plenty of sunshine and an excellent day was enjoyed by all learning about the history, worker’s lives, transport networks and fluctuating business fortunes of Gorseddau quarry, the abandoned industrial village of nearby Treforys, and the unique Ynysypandy slate mill.

David Gwyn explaining the archaeology and history of Ynysypandy slate mill.

The massive corbelled wall protecting the line of the slate tramway at Gorseddau from the slate tips above.

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A Corpus of Early Medieval Inscribed Stones and Stone Sculpture in Wales, Volume lll: North Wales

Published by University of Wales Press, April 2013.

By Nancy Edwards

This volume, the final of three, focuses on the inscribed stones and stone sculpture of North Wales c. AD 400-1150. It provides fresh insights and new interpretations of over 150 monuments, many of which have been found since V. E. Nash-Williams's Early Christian Monuments of Wales was published in 1950. The introductory discussion analyses the historical and archaeological context of the monuments, earlier research, geology, their form and function, ornament and iconography, and the language and lettering of the inscriptions, as well as their cultural connections, dating and chronology. The well-illustrated catalogue provides more detailed descriptions and analyses of individual monuments.

The Royal Commission has contributed many striking photographs and illustrations. Techniques used to record these stones photographically included night photography using a generator to power studio lights positioned to provide oblique lighting. The illustrative work within the book derives from rubbings produced in the field, which provided an accurate record of each monument including the inscriptions and letter-forms.

The project was led by Professor Nancy Edwards of Bangor University.

Article by: Charles Green, Graphics Officer, Public Engagement Team.


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Ceredigion Helps Celebrate the 400th Anniversary of the First Fresh Water Supply in London

The Cwmsymlog Chimney. Built in 1855 and restored 2006 by Trefeurig Community Council with a grant from the Spirit of the Mines regeneration project.
© Crown copyright: Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales

Four hundred years ago this year, a Welsh entrepreneur Hugh Myddelton from Denbigh completed the construction of the New River, which brought fresh drinking water from Hertfordshire to north London. As a reward for this work he was granted the leases on a number of mines in Ceredigion. These mines were so rich in silver that bullion was transported to the Tower of London to be minted into coins.

On May the 25 and 26 the Metal Links Project, a European funded project to reconnect people with their mining heritage, and the Welsh Mines Preservation Trust will be providing free guided tours of Cwmsymlog, Berth Llwyd (now known as Bronfloyd), Goginan and other mine sites that were once owned by Sir Hugh Myddelton. Samantha Jones, Community Archaeologist for the Metal Links Project said, “It is odd to think today that this beautiful part of rural Ceredigion has a connection with the hustle and bustle of London. This event will mark that connection and engage people with an element of their past they may not be aware of, that Ceredigion was an industrial landscape”.

Saturday 25th will also see a short memorial prayer said in the ruins of a chapel (Capel Myddelton) that bears his name at Cwmsymlog mine. The service will pay respects to Sir Hugh and the miners that worked there. Sir Hugh built the chapel for his miners soon after he acquired the mine. For a few minutes at 12pm the chapel will be brought back to life. All are welcome to join us.

At 7pm on Saturday 25 at the church hall Llanbadarn Fawr there will be a series of short talks by local archaeologists and enthusiasts on the life of Sir Hugh and on the mines he owned. All are welcome.

All events over the weekend are free. Walks will be starting at 10am from Cwmsymlog (SN700 837) where there will be a free shuttle bus to ferry walkers between sites. Please bring a packed lunch and wear sensible footwear and appropriate clothing.

For further details contact Samantha Jones, samantha.jones@rcahmw.gov.uk or call 01970 621203.

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Dating Old Welsh Houses

Uwchlaw’r–coed, NPRN:28881, the earliest Snowdonian house dated by inscription.

Over the last four years the Royal Commission has been working in partnership with the Dating Old Welsh Houses Group in North-west Wales. Led by Margaret Dunn, she and her large group of volunteers have identified and successfully dated around seventy early houses with the help of the Royal Commission’s architectural historian, Richard Suggett. The earliest Snowdonian house dated by inscription is Uwchlaw’r–coed, Llanenddwyn in Merioneth, dated 1585.

The 1585 inscription at Uwchlaw’r–coed.

Tree-ring dating now carries the story of the Snowdonian house back to the early sixteenth century with the dating of Dugoed, Penmachno, to 1516/17.

Dugoed, NPRN:26415, recently tree-ring dated 1516/17.

Numerous other houses have been dated and the results are now available on Coflein. An analysis of these results in the context of the economic and social changes of the sixteenth century by Richard Suggett and members of the Dating Old Welsh Houses Group will be published by the Royal Commission in autumn 2014.

By Richard Suggett, Senior Investigator Historic Buildings

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Recording Interesting Features at Goetre Isaf Nr Bangor

Our People’s Collection Wales event at Bangor Museum in March resulted in a recent follow-up visit by Nikki and myself to a nearby farmstead, Goetre Isaf near Bangor, to record interesting features there. These included rows of bee-boles, a carved slate fireplace surround, a horse-gin, chairs from the investiture of Prince Charles in 1969, and an early ‘vertical drop’ toilet among other treasures. Here’s a taster - to see the rest, visit the collection on People’s Collection Wales.

                  
This row of bee-boles is a series of slate-topped recesses set in an outside stone wall at Goetre Isaf. Small bee skeps or straw hives were placed inside to protect them from wind and rain. Bee-boles like these were widely used before the invention of modern bee-hives.


This beautiful hand-carved slate fireplace was saved from destruction at Bethesda and has been re-used at Geotre isaf. Slate carving such as this, now recognised as a special form of Folk Art, often included names and dates, concentric circles and motifs such as plants, birds and animals. This example commemorates the marriage of John and Elinor Parry, Bethesda, 3 May 1836. An excellent site which explores the history of slate carving in North Wales can be found on the Friends of Gwynedd Museum website where many other examples are shown.

To see the other features recorded at Goetre Isaf visit the collection on People’s Collection Wales.

If you have more information on any of these features, or have photographs of your own, why not add them to the growing collection on People’s Collection Wales?

By: Helen Rowe, People's Collection Wales Officer


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Dolbelydr: Open Weekend, 26-29 April

Exterior view of Dolbelydr (NPRN:27114) taken by the Royal Commission in 1950.

Dolbelydr, near St Asaph is open to the public this weekend, 26-29 April, with demonstrations of Calligraphy on both Saturday 27 and Sunday 28. Fully restored in 2003, and now owned by the Landmark Trust, Dolbelydr is an impressive example of a sixteenth-century storeyed gentry house with its tall end-chimneys and lime-washed elevations. Once seat of a branch of the Salusbury's of Lleweni in the fourteenth century, Dolbelydr was the former home of Welsh grammarian Henry Salesbury (1561-1632/7), who wrote his "Grammatica Britannica" there in 1593 and for whom the current building was probably constructed. The house was a tenanted farmhouse throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and was last occupied in 1910 until its restoration by the Landmark Trust. Those interested in the architecture of the house will find reconstruction drawings in Houses of the Welsh Countryside, page 246, figure 137. The National Monuments Record of Wales holds a wealth of information ―74 Collection Records― on this important house, which has been tree-ring dated c.1578 and was recorded by the Royal Commission’s investigators in 1950 and 1999. Many of images are now available on Coflein.

Detail view of door showing draw-bar slot at Dolbelydr.

Coflein - Discovering Our Past Online
Coflein is the online database for the National Monuments Record of Wales (NMRW), the national collection of information about the historic environment of Wales.
   
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